Cigarette lighters



w. RETZLER 3,529,912

Sept. 22, 1970 CIGARETTE LIGHTERS 5 sheets-sheet 1 Filed July 1, 1968 Q F RQ Filed July 1, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 22, 1970 W. RE1I'ZLER CIGARETTE LIGHTERS Filed-July 1, 1968 5 ShGtS-Sheet A.

Sept. 22, 1970 w. RETZLER CIGARETTE LIGHTERS Filed July 1, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent Q 3,529,912 CIGARETTE LIGHTERS William Retzler, Wickham, England, assignor to Tetra Molectric Limited, London, England, a British com- Filed July. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 741,408 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 14, 1967, 32,608/67; Mar. 26, 1968, 14,551/68 Int. Cl. F23q 2/00 US. Cl. 431-154 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The conventional igniting mechanism of a cigarette lighter consists of an actuating member, such as a thumb or finger piece, which when operated, usually by depression, causes ignition of fuel at the barrier. The actuating member is usually constrained during its operative movement by a pivotal link or a linear plunger. The pivotal link conventionally involves the use of small left and right handed screws which act as the pivots and also constrains the part of the actuating member which is guided by the link to follow a part circular path. A plunger has the disadvatnage that the manual reaction is applied directly against a return spring and this makes it difficult to provide the acceleration of the actuating member and of a flint wheel or electro-magnetic rotor rotated by the actuating member, which is frequently desirable for good ignition.

In accordance with the present invention a cigarette lighter has an igniting mechanism with an actuating member which is arranged to be moved by direct manual force to cause ignition of fuel at the lighter burner, the actuating member being guided during its movement by cam action.

This guidance by cam action is intended to mean the guidance by means of a cam follower which moves over a cam so that the actuating member is constrained to move other than parallel to the direction of thrust applied perpendicular to the pressure surface of the actuating member.

In this way the actuating member can be given the optimum path of movement, for example with a changing direction of movement, consistent with the size and construction of the lighter without the constraint of, for example, convenional radius arms. The actuating member can be caused to accelerate with a snap action during its operative movement so that, for example, a flint wheel or electro-magnetic rotor are suddenly accelerated or a hammer is suddenly released to strike a piezo electric element in the case of a piezo electric ignition system.

It is immaterial whether the cam is carried by the actuating member and the follower by the lighter structure or vice versa. The cam or follower may be moulded integrally of plastics material with a part of the lighter structure, such as a top or side face plate. The follower or cam respectively may then be carried on the under side of the actuating member. Alternatively the follower may be formed by a pin or pins which extends from the actuating member into fixed cam slots. Yet again it is possible for the cam to be provided by a rotary flint wheel itself, a cam follower surface carried by the actuating member running over and frictionally entraining the flint wheel upon operation of the actuating member.

When the cam arrangement guides one end of the actuating member it will usually be necessary to provide some means for preventing that end of the actuating member from becoming dislodged from the position in which the cam follower overlies the cam. When the above mentioned pin and cam slot arrangement is used, this ma be suflicient to locate the actuating member. Alternatively, the location may be provided by arranging for a part, such as a flange, and the outer casing, face plate or other component of the lighter structure, to overlie the part of the actuating member. When the lighter is fully automatic so that the actuating member is spring loaded to its inactive position as soon as it is released, the actuating member may be located in the position by the return spring itself. Thus, if operation of the actuating member involves a longtudinal relative movement of the actuating member, the return spring may be a tension spring which acts on the end of the actuating member which is guided by the cam and extends at an inclination of the actuating member so that it provides one component of force along the actuating member tending to return it to its inactive position and another component perpendicular to the length of the actuating member urging the actuating member to a position in which the cam and follower are in engagement with one another.

Although the cam and follower will usually be rigid, in a particularly sophisticated construction the cam or follower, particularly when moulded integrally with a base plate of the lighter from a plastics material which is resilient in thin section, may act in addition as the return spring. This will involve an initial flexing of the spring cam part as the actuating member is operated after which the part will provide its cam function and ride over the complementary cam or follower during subsequent movement of the actuating member. Upon release of the actuating member the part will reassume under its own resilience its normal position returning the actuating member to its inactive position. The actuating member could, of course, be cam controlled at both its ends.

Some examples of lighters constructed in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which:

FIG. 1 is a central longitudinal section through part of the actuating member of one lighter taken on the line II in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of a second lighter having a piezo electrically operated igniting mechanism with the igniting mechanism in vertical section showing the mechanism in its rest position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the igniting mechanism in the process of being operated;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 but showing the igniting mechanism fully operated;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a third lighter before operation; and I FIG. 7 is a central vertical section of the third lighter in operation.

The first lighter, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, has an outer casing 8 the main body of which houses the fuel reservoir tank of the lighter. Within the top of the outer casing 8 is mounted a moulded plastics action carrier 9 which supports the lighter action. Part of this action consists of an actuating member formed by an inner part 10 and an outer part 11. The outer part 11 has a pair of forwardly projecting ears 12 provided with holes 13 for pivotal connection to an intermediate member so that when the actuating member is operated a spark wheel is rotated by the stream of sparks to ignite fuel at the lighter burner. The other end of the actuating member is supported bya tail 14 of the inner part 10, the tail 14 forming a cam and resting on a curved cam follower 15 formed integrally with the action carrier 9.

Upon operation of the lighter the actuating member is pressed downwards in the direction of the arrow A by the operators thumb acting on the upper pressure surface of the actuating member outer part 11. This reaction causes the actuating member to move backwards and downwards both becaues of the pivotal link constraining the ears 12 and because of the tail 14 which rides over the curve and down the back of the cam follower surface 15. This latter constraint provides a snap action causing quick acceleration of the flint wheel and a concentrated stream of sparks to the burner. The lighter is fully automatic and upon subsequent release of the actuating memher, it returns to its inactive position shown in FIG. 1 under the action of a helically coiled tension spring 16, which acts between a lug 17 on the carrier 9 and a lug 18 on the tail 14.

The actuating member is prevented from being lifted bodily upwards by the engagement of flanges 19 which extend outwards at the bottom of legs 20 of the inner part 10, beneath cooperative flanges 21, which project inwards from upwardly projecting Wall parts 22 of the carrier 9'.

The lighter illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 has an outer casing provided by a shell 23 and a thumbpiece actuating member 24 which are complementary with one another and define the total outline of the body. Mounted within the lower part of the shell 23 is a gaseous fuel reservoir tank 25 having an inlet valve 26 and a burner 27.

The igniting mechanism is housed on an action carrying plate 28 and within the thumbpiece 24. A piezo electric element 29 is mounted in a housing 30 which is fixed on the plate 28 and electrically connected to an electrode 31 and to the burner 27 which forms the other complementary electrode. The thumbpiece 24 supports an inner part 32 through rubber mounting blocks 33.

The inner part 32 has a downwardly projecting profiled web 34, and a pair of downwardly projecting ears 35 which support between them a pin 36 running in a pair of straight slots 39 formed in upwardly bent side portions of the plate 28. The part 32 also has a second pair of downwardly projecting ears 37 which are formed with slightly curved slots which receive and run over a pin 38 extending between further upwardly bent side portions of the plate 28. The slots 39 and 40 act as cam surfaces and the pins 36 and 38 act as cam followers to constrain the thumbpiece 24 to move backwards and downwards when manual pressure is applied by the operators thumb in the direction of arrow A normal to the upper surface of the actuating member 24. The effect of this action is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The slots 39 and 40, being closed and substantially no Wider than the radii of the pins, act to locate the thumbpiece on the rest of the lighter. A helically coiled tension spring 41, which is anchored between a fixed lug 42 on the housing 30, and a hooked portion 43 on the inner part 32, urges the thumbpiece 24 to its rest position shown in FIG. 1.

A nose 44 on the profiled web 34 overlies one arm 45 of a lever so that as the thumbpiece 24 is moved backwards and downwards against the action of the spring 41, the lever is rocked about its fulcrum 46 and its other arm 47, engaging beneath the nozzle 27, raises the nozzle and opens the burner valve so that fuel gas flows out through the burner from the tank 25.

A hammer having a head 48 and a shank 49 is mounted so that it may move horizontally above the plate 28 by means, firstly, of a pin 50 which extends horizontally through the head 48 and into slots 51 in the upwardly bent side edges of the plate 28, and, secondly, by means of an aperture 52 in an upwardly bent rear end wall of the plate 28 through which the shank 49 is slidable. A helically coiled compression spring 53 is trapped between 4 the bent end of the plate 28 and the head 48 and urges the hammer to the left into engagement with the a jacent end of the element 29.

When the thumbpiece 24 is operated, and moves backwards and downwards, the pin 50 and hence the hammer, are moved to the right against the action of the spring 53 by the engagement of the pin 50 in a part circular notch in a second nose 54 of the profiled web 34. This cocks the hammer and FIG. 4 shows the fully cocked position.

Further final backward and downward movement of the thumbpiece 5, accurately controlled by the configurations of the slots 39 and 40, causes the nose 54 to ride on its resilient mounting over the pin 50 so that the hammer is suddenly released and accelerates forward under the action of the spring 53 into impact with the end of the element 29. The sudden striking of the element 29 causes it to provide between the nozzle 27 and electrode 31 a voltage which is discharged as a spark igniting the fuel gas which is then issuing from the nozzle 27 to pro duce a flame 55.

The flame is automatically extinguished when the thumbpiece 24 is released since the thumbpiece returns to its inactive position under the action of the spring 41 and the burner valve shuts under its own internal spring so that the parts automatically resume the FIG. 1 configuration.

The third lighter, illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 has an outer casing provided by a shell 56 and a thumbpiece actuating member 57. The shell 56 accommodates a gaseous fuel reservoir, which will be inserted through the bottom of the shell after removal of a flush bottom closure, which is provided with an inlet valve 59 and a burner valve 60 leading to a burner 61. A flint tube 62 extends through the body of the lighter and terminates at a flint wheel 63. The thumbpiece 57 has fixed within it a moulded plastics member 64 which is provided at its forward end with a tongue 65 and a curved shoulder 66 which acts as a cam follower and follows the periphery of the rotary flint wheel 63 which acts as a cam. At its rear end the member 64 has a cam follower slot 67 which receives a pin 68 acting as a cam and carried by an action carrying part 69. A helically coiled compression spring 70 is interposed between the part 69 and a shoulder 71 on the member 64. A simple bell crank lever 72 is interposed between the member 64 and the burner 61.

In the rest position the spring 70 urges the actuating member 68 to the FIG. 6 position in which the tongue 65 closes a flame aperture 73 from below. To operate the lighter the actuating member 67 is depressed by the operators thumb. This reaction, in the direction of the arrow A is directed normally to the top surface of the actuating member 67 but the actuating member is constrained by the cam action of the flint wheel 63 and shoulder 66 and by the slot 67 and pin 68 to move at an inclination backwards and downwards away from the burner 61. The part 64 of the actuating member frictionally entrains the flint wheel 63 the flint wheel is rotated as the actuating membr is operated. As the cam follower shoulder 66 rides over the flint wheel 63, the flint wheel is suddenly accelerated with the snap action and causes a concentrated stream of sparks to ignite the gaseous fuel 74 issuing from the burner 61 which has been opened by the downward movement of the member 64 which rocks the bell crank lever 72.

I claim:

1. A cigarette lighter comprising a burner, an igniting mechanism, an actuating member, and supporting means on which said actuating member is mounted for operative movement by direct manual force backward and downward away from a rest position and away from said burner to cause ignition of fuel at said burner, a substantially rigid upwardly facing cam carried by said supporting means, and a substantially rigid downwardly facing cam follower on the underside of said actuating member,

said cam follower being formed integrally with said actuating member and positioned to slide over said cam and guide the end of said actuating member remote from said burner during its operative movement, spring means urging said actuating member toward said rest position and said cam follower toward said cam, and retaining means integral with said actuating member which interfit with a fixed part carried by said support means and positively limit movement of said remote end of said actuating member and of said cam follower away from said cam, in all positions of said cam actuating member, said retaining means comprising a pair of legs and flanges at the lower end of said legs, said flanges being adapted to engage beneath the surfaces of said fixed part.

2. A lighter according to claim 1, in which said supporting means comprises an integral plastic moulded base, on which said fixed part, said cam, and an anchorage for one end of said spring means are mounted.

3. A lighter according to claim 1, in which said cam and said cam follower are so shaped that said actuating member moves with a snap action when said manual force is directed downwardly on said actuating member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,889,849 12/1932 Aronson 431-440 2,732,697 1/1956 Peterson 431-440 X 5 3,200,295 8/1965 Owens et al. 431132 X FOREIGN PATENTS 731,788 5/ 1932 France. 10 602,408 9/ 1934 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application 1,030,085 (May 1958), 15 Bohme.

US. Cl. X.R. 

